GRANDMA IS SLOW . . .

As my Dad used to say, "Grandma is slow but she’s old."  LOL  Well I’m not really too terribly old (61) but I sure am terribly slow.  Here are two more blocks of the Grandmother’s Choice block of the week sponsored by Barbara Brackman.  I'm behind about 15 blocks but I keep plugging along at it.

#25 The Carrie Nation Quilt


#37 Nameless Star

As you can see, I am not making them in any particular order.  I just pick the one I want to do next and just do it.

The sawtooth star is the block used when I was taught how to piece a quilt.  I love star blocks of all kinds which is probably how I got hooked on quilting.

Mom and I had a wonderful lunch today at the Olive Garden.  We both love the fresh salad and yummy, garlicky bread sticks that they serve.  That is all that Mom ate, but I added a small linguini with marinara sauce.  It was divine!

More blocks and news later,

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THANKS MOM

Photograph taken by John R Rogers in 2008 near Ennis, Texas.   (CC BY 3.0 US)

Everybody knows that a good mother gives her children a feeling of trust and stability. She is their earth. She is the one they can count on for the things that matter most of all. She is their food and their bed and the extra blanket when it grows cold in the night; she is their warmth and their health and their shelter; she is the one they want to be near when they cry. She is the only person in the whole world in a whole lifetime who can be these things to her children. There is no substitute for her.   ~ Katharine Butler Hathaway

You did it right, Mom!

With love,

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MINOR PROGRESS ON GRANDMOTHER’S CHOICE BLOCKS

22.  Jack’s Delight

35. Granny’s Choice

More to come!

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BEEN SHOPPING FOR QUILTING GOODIES

Eureka!  Ever since I saw Alex Anderson and Ricky Timms use something similar to this, I finally found an iron with a solid soleplate.  No holes for steam.  Why am I so excited you ask?  Because I wanted the soleplate of an iron to be solid to equally heat the entire surface of the fabric with no “holes” in the heat which increase the ironing work.






I’ve been looking for one for over a year and finally tracked one down at Home Depot for order through the Internet with delivery to my local Home Depot store (with NO shipping charges) for me to pick up.  I live only a couple of miles from Home Depot so it was an easy, convenient trip. You can see the information about this iron HERE.  {I am not affiliated with Home Depot in any way.  Just a satisfied customer.)

There is no automatic shut off so I’ll have to train myself to watch out for that.  This iron is pretty heavy which should help mash those seams down on the blocks as it is distributing heat. Hopefully, it won't fall and mash my fingers or feet!  I’ll give you a report later after I’ve used it for a couple of weeks.



Actually, this purchase is more attractive than the iron.  It is Betsy Chutchian’s latest book, Lizzie’s Legacy:  More Quilts From a Pioneer Woman’s Journal.  This book is a wonderful companion to Betsy’s previous one, Gone to Texas.



Click HERE to go to Pickledish.com to see photos of some of the quilts in the book.  My favorite quilt in this book is the one located on the left side of the cover, scrappy pinwheels that is called “A Quilt for the Help” and can be found on page 48.  This pattern would be a good way to use all the extra half square triangles I have stored in a box although I don’t know how many 2 1/2” HSTs I have.

Until next time, may all your bobbins stay full.

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ROTARY CUTTING VS. PAPER-PIECING OLD MAID’S RAMBLE BLOCK

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, my initial #19 Old Maid’s Ramble block for the Grandmother’s Choice block of the week hosted by Barbara Brackman was a resounding failure.  Pieces flip flopped, biases waiving, the whole works.

BEFORE - Rotary Cut Version

As a result, I decided to use a paper-piecing pattern for this block from my Electric Quilt 5 program.  When I reached the point where the four paper-pieced sections were ready to be joined, I had my eagle-eyed Sweetie to check the layout.  All was well so the block went together like a charm.  The results are so much better than my rotary cutter version.  By the way, please note that the points are chopped off only in the photo and the block is square. In person both things are correct.

AFTER - Paper-Pieced Verson

One little boo-boo but nothing that upsets me. Two of the half square triangles are made from a different color way of the same Morris print.  Can you find them?  Over the years I've learned to let myself relax about the smaller imperfections.  I am NOT nor will ever be perfect so why drive myself crazy about the smaller things.  Once it is in the quilt top, I won't even be able to see the difference.  Now with that first wonky block, I would have noticed and gotten crazy about it because it's a really big icky!

Now it's on to the next block for this women's history quilt.  I’m about fourteen blocks behind on this project but I’m ready to kick it into gear to complete more.

Hope everyone is enjoying fine Spring weather and flowers about now.  My climbing roses in the back yard are running rampant with blooms, a wall of pink and green along the chain link fence..

Guess that's all for now.   I’ll talk to you guys later.

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R.I.P. ANNETTE FUNICELLO

Annette died today at age 70 as a result of complications from multiple sclerosis.



I never saw Annette on television as a Mousketteer. Either my family didn’t have a television during the early years of The Mickey Mouse Club, or when we finally got a t.v. that show wasn’t on the one or two stations that we received out in the boondocks of west Texas.

No, in my pre- and early teens, I watched all those teenybopper beach movies and fell in love with her there.  She was always the most decently dressed of the beach babes (no bikinis for her) but the cutest one there.  I always wanted to be a surfer chick which was a difficult since I lived in wonderful west Texas where there was barely ANY water much less ocean.

Much, much later Annette sold dolls on the QVC shopping network.  I’m not a doll person but I would watch her a bit just because she was such an American icon from my childhood.

My heart goes out to her family, friends, and fans.

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WHAT HAS NOT BEEN HAPPENING!

For the last couple of months the only sewing I’ve done is to cut off and hem my great nephew’s baseball pants.  I’ve been in a crazy 'don’t want to do anything' funk but I hope I’m coming out of it now that Spring is here.



Today I’m working on paper piecing block #19, The Old Maid’s Ramble, of Barbara Brackman’s Grandmother’s Choice block of the month.  You will understand why I chose to paper piece this one when you see the one made using the rotary cutting instructions.



Half square triangles turned the wrong way.  A larger dark triangle placed wrong.  Block unsquare.  And oh those crazy bias edges to deal with.  Yuck.  I vow to get the new block finished tonight!

I am way behind on the Grandmother’s Choice blocks.  Chances are I won’t make them all because I plan to set them in a vertical stripy style similar to this one found on Lone Star House of Quilts’ blog.  But that plan may change.  It’s still early.

Hope each of you have a wonderful, productive, fun weekend.  In the meantime, may your bobbins always be full.

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